| Tour Cost | specifications | information in depth |
With three fabulous Blue Planet options, you really are spoilt for choice:
Built in December 2004 at an impressive length of 37.20m, sleeps a maximum of 22 guests, Blue Seas is the combined result of Egypt's years of yacht building experience and modern technology.
Her temperate and elegant outlines are matched with classic interiors and lay-out. The large saloon on the main deck includes a living area, and the dining room is fitted out with marble tables allowing a comfortable dining arrangement for all guests.
Blue Seas comprises 9 deluxe twin cabins with en-suite bathrooms & two master suites, each fitted with individual thermostatic controls for ambient temperature cooling. If it is space and comfort you want then this is the boat for your next charter.
Blue Seas
Built in November 2003, at a length of 34.00m, and sleeping up to a maximum of 20 guests, this beautifully furnished boat will certainly feel indulgent. The saloon and dining area are spacious and comfortable. Cabins are air conditioned and en-suite with twin beds; additionally, there are two double master cabins. Your liveaboard diving experience is enhanced by the well designed diving deck which carries the latest equipment.
Blue Pearl
The first of the Blue Planet fleet, built in 1999 at a length of 26.50m and sleeping a maximum of 16 guests. Blue Planet 1, although the smallest of the fleet, is fast, comfortable and has a very cosy atmosphere. Featuring ample dining and living areas, and a well planned dive deck. All cabins are en-suite and air conditioned. She has a friendly crew and very experienced dive guide, ideal for smaller groups. Blue Planet 1 makes for an intimate and fun dive charter.
Blue Planet One
This is the classic Red Sea itinerary. To the North of Hurghada, the Red Sea splits into two arms embracing the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. It combines the most famous wrecks of the Red Sea with stunning walls, drop offs, and reef diving. At the tip of the Sinai, and fed with nutrient rich waters from the Gulf of Aqaba, is the National Park of Ras Mohamed, famous for its breath taking walls and drop offs. It teams with large schools of fish, hard and soft coral gardens and magnificent fan corals.
These two islands, Big Brother and Little Brother, whilst a diving challenge, offer some of the best scenery in the Red Sea. Due to the ever changing currents you can expect to find some of the most fantastic marine life here. Daily encounters with sharks such as hammerheads and threshers along with other predators are not unusual. The highlight of this dive site is the fascinating gravity defying shipwrecks of Aida and Numbia, with their amazing growth of soft corals.
This charter offers a similar route to “The Brothers”, but with the opportunity to explore some of the reefs closer to shore before spending a day on the wonderfully colourful and exhilarating Elphinstone. Shark encounters are not unusual here, and being able to to dive and snorkel with the amazing and majestic oceanic white tip is a frequent occurrence.
This route sometimes known as “Simply The Best”, takes you to probably the best sites where you can encounter large sharks, steep drop offs, pristine coral walls, and adrenaline drift dives. You can experience The Brothers islands and the two wrecks of Aida and Numbia. Elphinstone and Daedalus are both renowned for its large schools of jacks, barracuda and tuna.
On this charter you will visit the reefs between Port Ghalib and Zabargad/Rocky Island, 46km (25 nautical miles from Ras Banas) these include Elphinstone and Daedalus Reef.
Rocky, the larger of these deep south islands offers sheer vertical walls with superb dense coral cover to the upper 20 metres, currents around this island often offer exhilarating drift dives. Rocky, like Daedalus is also renowned for its larger schooling species of marine life.
Zabargad offers a more relaxed dive, with a sandy slope that gently sweeps away with a concentration of habilis (coral pinnacles) creating overhangs and swim-throughs. This dive is great at night for nudibranch sightings, and can offer superb photography opportunities.
South – Fury Shoals
Embarkation is from Port Ghalib. The southern Red Sea is renowned for its incredible reefs that are home to both hard and soft corals in pristine condition and pelagic in great numbers. Three wrecks have been discovered here and there are many species of shark, including hammerheads which can be found in schools. Other impressive marine encounters may be made with pods of dolphins, schools of bumphead parrotfish and the occasional turtle. These offshore islands and reef-chains of Fury Shoals are rich in marine life and ideal for enthusiastic photographers.
Visiting reefs between Port Ghalib and St. John's Reef, this itinerary is a beautiful way to discover the southern Egyptian Red Sea. Deep drop offs covered with vibrant corals in the bluest of blue sea. Shark and other large ocean dwelling fish are common sights. This is an astounding reef safari and a photographer’s dream.
You will fly direct from Gatwick to Marsa Alam or Hurghada Airport and transferred to your liveaboard at either Hamata or Marsa Galeb. On your last day you will transfer The Coral Beach Hotel in Marsa Alam before your final transfer to Marsa Alam Airport and your flight back to the UK. (You will need 10 - 15 Euro for use of the facilities). If you wish to stay in The Coral Beach Hotel on your last night, this can be arranged at an additional cost.
| Information in Depth | To Top of Page |
| Tour cost (Minimum: 15 Divers / MAXIMUM: 20 DIVERS) |
|
| PER DIVER | |
| THE NORTH & WRECKS | £830 |
| tHE bROTHERS (marine park) | £890 |
| The Brothers & eLPHINSTONE (marine park) | £965 |
| tHE BROTHERS, DAEDALUS & ELPHINSTONE (marine park) | £1015 |
| daedalus, zabargad & rocky (marine park) | £1015 |
| south - fury shoals | £890 |
| st john's | £890 |
Prices are for guidance only and will change, up or down, according to route, boat and date and for departure / arrival airport.
‘Diver’ based on return Gatwick to Marsa Alam flights, transfers, 7 nights full board, 6 days liveaboard diving, Marine Park fees if applicable, dive guide, weight belt, weights and cylinders.
Some tours may start with 1st night hotel accommodation and 1st day daily boat diving.
MY Blue Seas has a £50 supplement on all charters.
Diver qualification requirement PADI Advanced or equivalent & a minimum of 50 logged dives or 30 logged dives for St John’s, The North & Wrecks
The exact itinerary and reefs visited are weather dependent.
| Blue Seas Specifications | |
| CAPACITY | 22 Divers |
| built in | December 2004 |
| Length | 37.2m |
| Beam | 8m |
| Cabins | 9 x twin cabins with en-suite & x 2 master cabins. Individual air-conditioning. |
| Salon | TV / DVD / Stereo |
| Engines | 2 x V12 Caterpillar |
| Desalination unit | 14 tons Freshwater tank. 2 x Deslalination Plant: 5678ltr/day |
| GeneratorS | 3412cc, 764HP each |
| Compressors | 2 x Kohler: 70kw with sound shield |
| Navigation | Radar, Echo sounder, VHF, GPS & GMDSS |
| Tender | 2 x Zodiac Pro9 with Yamaha outboard |
| nitrox | 20 x 12ltr Aluminium tanks with DIN/INT valve |
| Emergency | 2 x Life rafts each for 25 persons. 2 x 50ltr Oxygen tanks, DAN Oxygen kit. Faraday Marine Fire Alarm System |
| Blue PEArl Specifications | |
| BUILT IN | November 2003 |
| CAPACITY | 20 Divers |
| Length | 36m |
| Beam | 8m |
| Cabins | 8 x deluxe twin cabins with en-suite 2 x deluxe double cabins with ensuite Individual air-conditioning. |
| Salon | TV / DVD / Stereo |
| Engines | 2 x V12 Caterpiller |
| Desalination unit | 12 tons Freshwater tank. 2 x Deslalination Plant: 5678ltr/day |
| GeneratorS | 3412cc, 764HP each |
| Compressors | 2 x Kohler: 70kw with sound shield |
| Navigation | 2 x Double pulse radar 36/48 n.m 2 x Echo sounder, 2 x GPS. Colour LCD Sounder, Chart Plotter. 3 x Radiotele. HF, SSB, DSC. |
| Tender | 2 x Zodiac Pro9 with Yamaha outboard |
| nitrox | 20 x 12ltr Aluminium tanks with DIN/INT valve |
| Emergency | 2 x Life rafts each for 25 persons. 2 x 50ltr Oxygen tanks, DAN Oxygen kit. Faraday Marine Fire Alarm System |
| Blue PLANET ONE Specifications | |
| Built in | 1999 |
| capacity | 15 Divers |
| Length | 27m |
| Beam | 7m |
| Cabins | 10 x deluxe twin cabins with en-suite. Individual air-conditioning. |
| Salon | TV / DVD / Stereo |
| Engines | 2 x V12 Caterpiller |
| Desalination unit | 14 tons Freshwater tank. 2 x Deslalination Plant: 5678ltr/day |
| GeneratorS | 3412cc, 764HP each |
| Compressors | 2 x Kohler: 70kw with sound shield |
| Navigation | Radar, Echo sounder, VHF, GPS & GMDSS |
| Tender | 2 x Zodiac Pro9 with Yamaha outboard |
| nitrox | 20 x 12ltr Aluminium tanks with DIN/INT valve |
| Emergency | 2 x Life rafts each for 25 persons. 2 x 50ltr Oxygen tanks, DAN Oxygen kit. Faraday Marine Fire Alarm System |
| Tour Cost | To Top of Page |
| Blue Planet Fleet ~ Information in Depth | |
A detailed briefing of the site to be dived precedes all dives. The day starts off with coffee or tea and cookies or cake followed by the first dive and then breakfast. Lunch is served after the second dive. In the early afternoon the third dive takes place followed by afternoon tea or coffee accompanied by cake or cookies. Dinner is served at around 7:30 p.m. If a dusk or night dive is planned then dinnertime is adjusted accordingly.
A minimum of three dives a day are programmed with the added option of a dusk or night dive. With the longer days in summer, a fourth dive may be added to the daytime diving agenda. Most of the diving is done by zodiac tender.
These are included.
The sea conditions in the Red Sea can change within minutes following patterns well known to the skipper. Therefore all diving is subject to weather conditions and the final decision is the skipper’s, whose main priority is the guests’ welfare.
All Blue Planet liveaboards offer full board accommodation (3 meals a day) with cake or cookies in the afternoon. Guests with special dietary requirements should mention this at the time of booking. Soft drinks, mineral water, tea and coffee are available on board at no extra charge. Beer and wine is also available onboard at an extra cost. Spirits are to be provided by the guests. If your destination airport is Hurghada spirits can be purchased at the airport duty free shop upon arrival in Egypt. However, if Marsa Alam is your destination airport you will need to purchase any spirits at Gatwick airport before departure or during your flight.
The dive decks are all designed to offer comfort for kitting-up and water entry, and is equipped with sitting benches and tank holders, secure equipment storage area, deck showers and equipment rinsing facilities. The expertly trained crew are ready on deck to assist in water entry/exit, gear removal, storage, and to prepare your gear for the next dive.
Each Blue Planet liveaboard have a choice of sun decks with sun and shade areas where the guests can sunbathe or relax in the shade and read.
The salon and dining areas have air-conditioning, TV, DVD and CD players, with comfortable seating for guests to relax. Lightwood panelling is themed throughout the boat.
AS cabins have air-conditioning, private en-suite facilities and offer plenty of storage. The cabins are cleaned daily and sheets, pillows and blankets are provided as well as cabin towels. Guests should bring their own toiletries such as shampoo, soap and toothpaste and a beach towel for salt-water use.
At our dive village at Marsa Shagra (approxiamately 140km north of Wadi Lahami) we now have Egypt’s newest hyperbaric medical centre, which is manned around the clock. In the event of a diving emergency, Panorama Explorer carries an ample supply of oxygen to reach the chamber.
Take great care with minor cuts and scratches as the coral polyps can aggravate and cuts can easily turn septic. Ask the dive guide for antibiotic powder and make sure that the wound is dried between dives. Dehydration and illness can be avoided by drinking far more water than usual. Mineral water is free. Mosquitoes are not usually a problem, but a little insect repellent at dusk will stop the odd sand fly bite.
On arrival at Hurghada or Marsa Alam airport visa’s can be purchased for £15 sterling. Our Panorama Explorer representative, who will be holding a sign saying 'Blue Planet', will meet you inside the airport terminal. He will then take you out of the terminal and to the coach for your transfer to the boat. The journey will take approximately 15 minutes from Hurghada and 20 minutes from Marsa Galeb [2 hour transfer if embarking at Hamata – after which you will be transferred to the boat by zodiac]. We suggest that you take snacks & drinks with you for the journey. On arrival aboard you will be served a light supper.
Some charters sail for 6 nights and you spend your last nigt in a hotel. Or you will depart from the Blue Planet at around midday on your flying day. On arrival in Hurghada or Marsa Alam, you may be taken to a Hotel where you can relax and take refreshments until your final transfer to the airport You will be charge 10 - 15 Euro's for use of the hotel facilities. We suggest that you keep your swimming clothes handy, books etc., which you may wish to use whilst you are there. From when you disembark from your boat any meals taken on this departure day with be at your own expense. When it is time for your transfer back to the airport the representative will meet you at reception and escort you to the airport. The representative will remain with you until you enter the departure gate from the main concourse.